Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins proved he can be daring in Week 9 win

When Kirk Cousins needed to show the Washington Redskins more, he did just that in their Week 9 win over the Seahawks.

The Washington Redskins’ thrilling 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks Monday possibly saved the season and Kirk Cousins’ contract talks. Be tired of it, be angry, but it’s the truth. Cousins needed to show some growth in Week 9.

Well, mission completed. He threw into coverage, took shots downfield, and even played a solid fourth quarter. Cousins did everything everyone complains about him never doing. That doesn’t make him an elite quarterback, but one that knows when to step out his comfort zone.

This is the good side of the conversation. However, there’s another side that could be less than favorable: Can he do it again?

The Redskins are back at the .500 mark and are facing the Minnesota Vikings at home on Sunday in Week 10. The 6-2 Vikings will be more than a test, but an exclamation mark for the Redskins.  Last season, the Redskins beat the Vikings, 26-20. Overall, they’re 13-12 against them.

Currently the Redskins sit at third in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles have locked in the No.1 spot, while the Cowboys are 5-3  At this point the Redskins are in familiar territory playing the numbers game on how to make the playoffs.

This is where Cousins now lives and now must show a different type performance.  According the ESPN’s John Keim, Kirk Cousins realizes that remaining focused on what’s going on during game time is what’s going to win games:

"“There have been games where I’ve thrown for a lot of yards and felt like I played nearly flawlessly but we lost…And I walk away saying, ‘I’m getting better, I’m doing really good things, I’m about the process, and my process was really good today. I can’t control the outcome but the process was really good.’ But the noise on the outside is, ‘He’s got to get better, he’s not doing enough, we didn’t come away with the win..So I’ve learned to ignore outcomes at times, I’ve learned to ignore the noise on the outside and just focus on the process.”"

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: 49ers continue rebuilding

Cousins had a season-defining performance in the win over Seattle. Now coming up against another vaunted defense against Minnesota, he needs another one to keep Washington in the thick of it.